Rutherford Wilson, Chicago police officer and businessman, dies at 87

On a wall of his Chatham home, a series of newspaper clippings, commendations and photos tell the story of Rutherford Wilson, a former violent crimes detective sergeant with the Chicago Police Department.

There was the time in 1990, when a stray bullet hit 10-year-old Robert Jones in the face at a public housing facility on the South Side. Jones lost his sight and while recovering found an interest in music.

Mr. Wilson heard the story and purchased a piano and had it delivered to his home as an anonymous gift.

Jones became a professional musician. His story was told in multiple appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Mr. Wilson visited Jones after the shooting to share some encouraging words.

"He told me that I can still do anything I set my mind to, and there's a place for me in this world," recalled Jones, now 46.

Jones didn't learn until years after the shooting that the piano was a gift from Mr. Wilson.

"It just shows you the big heart he had, he didn't want it to be about him, he wanted it to be about me and helping me. Music is what basically carried me through those tough times," Jones said.

"Rutherford was retiring that year, and in lieu of throwing a retirement party for himself, he took that money and bought the piano," said his wife, Wanza Wilson. "He was so moved by that boy's story."

Mr. Wilson, who was on the police force for 28 years, died Jan. 17 from natural causes. He was 87.

He saw early in his police career how bad things could get.

He was one of the first officers on the scene after Richard Speck killed eight student nurses who roomed together at a South Side townhouse in 1966. After Speck fled, a ninth roommate emerged from her hiding place under a bed, climbed out a window and began screaming for help. The crime shocked the country.

Years later, in 1992, Mr. Wilson had a close encounter with a serial killer.

Mr. Wilson had just emerged from a South Side grocery store when three men robbed him of his pager and cash. Mr. Wilson quickly had the pager deactivated and got a new one with the same number. He then intercepted calls to the pager intended for the robbers and spoke with a girl whom Mr. Wilson persuaded to provide him with the name of one of the men who robbed him: Ralph Harris.

Harris was charged with the robbery and while out on parole and awaiting trial in the summer of 1992 committed four murders.

Mr. Wilson was also a businessman who owned and operated five motels — four on the South Side and one on the West Side.

"He would get those motels and clean them up," recalled his wife, noting that Mr. Wilson had three other partners in the venture, including one other Chicago police detective. "Some of them were vice ridden to begin with, and these young detectives took a chance with the investment, and Rutherford promised his supervisors that they were coming in there to clean the businesses up and they'd be reputable, and they did."

He hired dozens of people from the community to work at the motels, his wife said.

"He loved this neighborhood, and people respected him because he was doing good, and he loved being a police officer and catching the bad guy," his wife said.

Retired Chicago police officer Thomas Wortham III said Mr. Wilson was there for him after one of the darkest times in his life.

In 2010, outside his Chatham home, Wortham's son, Thomas Wortham IV, was shot and killed by thieves who tried to steal his motorcycle.

Mr. Wilson was part of a group of community members who came together to build a playground honoring his son.

"He was in his 70s and helping lift sod into a wheelbarrow on a hot day. It just blew me away. He didn't have to do that," recalled Wortham.

For years, Mr. Wilson hosted a monthly "pool party" at his home where retired police officers, judges, businessmen, politicians and other city workers gathered to shoot billiards and commiserate.

"Integrity was his thing," said friend and business partner Willie David Walker. "He was the kind of guy you want to have as a policeman."

Mr. Wilson was born April 19, 1938, to Smith Daniel Wilson and Rachel Rutherford Wilson. His father was a World War I veteran who worked as a prohibition officer for the federal government during Prohibition and later became a postal worker. His mother was a nurse.

Mr. Wilson played football at Marshall High School, attended Roosevelt University and was a member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

"We loved to travel together, all over the world, and he loved sports, but I could beat him in tennis," his wife said.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Wilson is survived by his sister, Florence Pothin; his daughters Cynthia Wilson, Kathleen Wilson, Asanta Maxwell, Simone Rodriguez and Carlise Maxwell; and his sons Dwayne Johnson and Brian Wilson;12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his daughter Elizabeth White.

Services have been held.